Prayer Watch: God is Doing a Great Work in the Middle East

I was so excited last night. I had researched Scripture about “light!” God was showing me the importance of His light. I was reading them through and was so blessed and anxious to share them with you. I closed down my computer to go help prepare our dinner. This morning, I opened to the file it should be saved in—you guessed it! I forgot to save it and lost it all.   That was for me a very small glimpse into the feelings a Bible translator has when his Scripture translation is destroyed and not saved to the cloud. It’s hard to start over.

This month we need to pray for the Christians and national Bible translators in the Middle East. I recently found a quote that is so fitting for us to remember.

“How in the world do you support people in a situation that’s becoming more and more persecuted?” Libby asked a church leader on a recent visit to his country. 
     He responded immediately with one simple word: “Prayer.” 
Wherever you are today, would you pray for persecuted Christians? “It seems like it’s a nebulous thing, but it’s the most concrete thing that we can do,” says Libby, “because as we pray, we energize God’s Spirit in [peoples’] lives. We can do that long-distance, halfway around the world.”

It's true, “Prayer is the most concrete thing we can do” We can pray wherever we are in the world.

In the depths of Spiritual darkness, where persecution is rampant, the light of God’s truth shines brightly. A young radical Islam man read God’s Word in his own language for the first time—God’s love overwhelmed him! Every person who miraculously comes to faith in Jesus Christ becomes a new creation. No longer a radical Islamist, he is now a believer along with other believers—they are absolutely passionate about sharing the Gospel—even though it’s illegal!

My dear prayer partner, let’s take time to read and pray over Scripture about the “light of God’s truth” to strengthen the believers in the Middle East. And let’s pray that God’s Word in the heart languages will go forth bringing His light into the Spiritual darkness in Middle Eastern countries.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5 (NIV)

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. Psalm 18:28 (NIV)

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 19:8 (NIV)

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:21-22 (NIV)

Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Psalm 97:11 (NIV)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:103 (NIV)

Let us pray that the light will shine and the hearts of believers in the Middle East will be filled with joy when reading the Word of God in their heart language!